Spell Poems
Spell Poems
Poetry is magic. And poems are spells. Poems speak of the in-betweens, the crossroads, the liminal, much like what we find at Creswell Crags, with its portals to deep time. During our Heritage Hack workshops, poet Tyler Turner encouraged our participants to think of their personal everyday rituals. And like a spell, a poem is born of intent and uses specific ingredients. Through examples, the participants were then encouraged to write their own spell poems, listing their ‘ingredients’ and creating a set of instructions or intentions – a recipe if you will – much like writing an algorithm.
You can read the spell poems written by our This Girl Codes participants below.
The Witch Marks in the Cave by Henry Bennett
1) You put witch marks in a cave but don’t put a normal witch mark put in a M or a W
2) Carve it out of stone and your mark will get flipped around. It will turn into a W and that doesn’t affect it but still be careful because witches could still be around…
Spell for Restoring Calmness by Sarah Bennett
- You must be outside and sat bare footed within nature. Away hustle, bustle.
- Sit and listen deeply to surroundings such as birdsong, the faint steps of wildlife, the buzz of a bee.
- Push palms together with feather in between and feel the energy between palms of hand, increasing heat which becomes bright like a light.
- Breathe slow, deep and once you feel the energy rising between palms, open hands and feel the light and heat energy surround you. Feather will rise and float.
Protection Spell by Kevin Bennett
P – Piece of paper to draw your protection symbol upon and hang at every entry point
R – Rope to make a circle to form an impenetrable barrier of positivity.
O – Olive oil to spray around the room adding an extra layer of protection
T – Stand Tall and Time at the optimum time 12:00 noon
E – Energy gather all your positive thoughts from the day, waving the kids off to school, kissing your partner and the love of your family.
C – Courage, be brave, you are stronger than you think. Feed off the positive feelings your surroundings/friends/family give you.
T – Transport yourself to the astral plane to take you out of your situation to protect those that you love.
A spell to not be afraid by Phoebe Barnes
Caves are dark, caves are deep,
Caves are scary, caves are steep,
Caves can be witchy, caves can be not
Candles are light, candles are not, humble
Is bad, oh witches are bad, witches are not
bad…
A Spell to Combat Loneliness in old age by Bill Sheffield
music for noise
TV for images
flowers for smell
food for all 3.
A Spell for Abundance by Sheila Sheffield
Sow the seed
Watch it grow
Plant with care
In a row
Let abundance flow
Protection spell By Alexis Sheffield
(This is a protection spell directed to one of my family’s ancestors who was supposed to be a mermaid called Melusine. She can be contacted by talking to her by a river and she’s supposed to help her female descendants and bestow them with her powers.)
Melusine
Mother of dreams
Hear your daughter, by the water
Keep me safe from harm
Never let this spell wane
Though clouds will change
Like the moon and stars
This spell will remain
A Spell for Balance by Lisa
- Set yourself a challenge
- Give yourself a treat
- Take some time to think and reflect
- Energise yourself
- Relax & remember to breathe
The Spell of the Morning Ritual by Annie French
Breathe in the new sunrise
Whilst grounding in nature
At the start of a new day
Stillness in the calming breath
As the universe arrives
To gift you that day
Spell for Silent noise by Danny Callaghan
Shout as quietly as you can
Listen to everything, hear nothing
There is no colour, only shade
Taste smell like sounds look
Spell for Peace by Amy Smith
- Walk: one, two, three. Feel the cold, the foggy damp of the water. Tread carefully: one, two, three…submerge the chest and listen to the heartbeat roar.
- Enter a wilderness through the backdoor. Take the shoes off.
- Listen to the happy footsteps of the cat seeking his mummy. Hear the purr on your cheek.
- Hold your breath, dodge the creaking floorboards. Watch them sleep peacefully. I made those girls. Kiss them gently, whisper that promise and go to bed.
- Press the button of the machine. Wait for the milk, next the coffee. And drink; so, it is a new day.
Spell for Philosophy by Elin Bennett-Green
Look up to seek something small
And know inside that it’s actually tall
Even if you feel you are minuscule
Deep down you are known, you are meaningful
Spell for Understanding Mother Grundy a collaborative piece by Delilah Wickins-Parsons and Eadie Maguire
- A cup of kindness
- Misunderstood and criminalised however still cared for the people that needed it.
- Seeking darkness and reflecting on who you truly are.
- Greed and want drives the villagers to bring you back but you see through their mask of kindness and turn down the offer.
Play the Music by Ellie Rostron
The songs of the past are still being sung.
Through the marks and the echoes.
In the dark.
If you listen closely, you can hear them.
The piano key of a sombre song.
The delicate string of a violin.
The silence.
Tap three times.
Play the music
Listen.
Play the music.
Spell for a Perfect Evening
5 ingredients
- real friends
- warm night in garden
- drinks
- music
- comfy chairs (maybe blanket)
Mother Grundy’s Parlour by Tyler Turner
Sun sinks into the cleft at the end of the gorge,
pursed between limestone lips.
Evening dusts the lake still,
a reflected moon thickens on its surface.
The parlour sighs at the cliff’s crotch,
its mouth stitched shut with iron thread.
Mother Grundy, hemmed inside herself,
is anchored by an umbilical stalagmite.
They embroidered her mucus-slick walls,
needled her with hammer and chisel
so that she’d never conceive again.
The virgin, Mother to none and to all
time carefully unpicks